245 Castle Avenue: The Adventures of the Modern-Day Disney Princesses
by The Eclectic Bookworm
Summary: Fa Mulan was expecting to relax after she saved China. She wasn't expecting journeying through a magical portal to a strange place called America, where she would meet other princesses and...finish her happy ending. Some characters from Mulan 2 but no actual movie, and it doesn't entirely focus on Mulan because the other princesses need some love. T for eventual lime. Please read!
1. Shang runs into Mulan-literally

**Hey all!**

**I've decided to try my hand at Disney fanfics, so here I go! We are starting with Mulan because that way she'll have more princesses to connect with, and for other reasons that will further complicate the plot.**

**So the idea is that the Disney Princesses live in a house together, arriving as soon as their movie comes out. My hope is to eventually get to Anna and Elsa, but for now we'll start with Mulan.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Mulan stared at the letter for a long, long, moment.

It was written in gorgeous, impeccable script that made her more than a little green with envy (as she thought of her own chicken-scratch handwriting), but she swallowed it and scanned the neat square of paper.

_Fa Mulan,_

_Congratulations! You have been selected as the next Disney Princess! Please bring along your dearest companion in this once-in-a-lifetime journey._

_Later information will be sent after we receive your acceptance letter. Please place it under your pillow, describing yourself so we can better prepare for you._

_Sincerely,_

_Senior Princess Snow White_

_Transcribed by Belle Chevalier_

A lot of emotions were going through Mulan's head at that moment. First off was confusion, second was annoyance, and third was dread at showing this to her family.

Then a line popped out at her.

_bring along your dearest companion_

Instantly, General Li Shang's face popped into Mulan's head. His gorgeous smile, his intelligence cunning strategy-

Mulan shook herself. First, before she did anything at all, she had to talk to her parents.

* * *

"Oh, Mulan, what an honor!" gasped her mother. "Of course you must go, was there ever any doubt? Send them an acceptance letter at once!" She paused. "That is, if their method of transmission works."

Mulan groaned, imagining sitting in a stuffy, boring room full of powdered, red-lipped young women fiddling with their kimonos to make their waists tighter.

But one of them must be French, because Belle was a French name.

So all through dinner, her mother and father and grandmother rejoiced while Mulan sulked.

_Why me, ancestors?_ she thought._ If you helped me save China, then why give me this letter and expect me to be happy?_

"Who will accompany you?" prodded her father.

Mulan thought quickly. Shang was out of the question. There were simply too many available spaces in a day to humiliate herself in front of him-especially when traveling with him. Maybe Ling? Or Yao, or Chien Po?

"I shall ask one of my friends from the army," she replied, deciding not to tie herself down to one man. That way, she'd have backups if one said no, and it would be hard to choose between any of them right now.

* * *

But of course, nothing went as planned.

It turned out that by some miracle Ling, Yao, and Chien Po had fallen in love with (and gotten themselves betrothed to) the three daughters of the emperor. Which of course meant none of them would go anywhere if it meant leaving behind their wife-to-be.

"We're really sorry," mumbled Chien Po regretfully.

"Oh," replied Mulan sadly. "Oh, it's fine. I'll...I'll miss you all though."

In answer, all three of her closest friends swept her into a hug.

"We'll miss you," Ling told her.

"Don't go all girly on us," muttered Yao.

Chien Po handed Mulan a gift basket brimming with fruit that his betrothed, Princess Su, had set up in case they needed to give someone something yummy (which made Mulan smile; Su and Chien Po sounded pretty well matched).

And so Mulan headed home worried, because there was only one option left.

Shang.

* * *

The problem with Shang was that Mulan was in love with him.

She had been since the army camp, and she knew she was going to make a fool of herself if she traveled with him. Probably mumble _Shang, I love you Shang_ in her sleep.

Mulan groaned. Life wasn't fair.

That of course was when something hard ran into her, knocking her into a puddle and leaving her breathless for ten seconds (she counted).

Then she stood up and turned to the driver of the wagon, who was a little blurry since her head was spinning.

"You watch it!" she yelled. This was irregular behavior even for a heroine, but Mulan was losing her temper with her chances of a nice, safe, enjoyable trip to become a...what was it?...Dindee Princess. "I...I saved Japan!"

"China," corrected the driver, his voice a mix of concern and panic.

"Whatever!" yelled Mulan at the driver before she recognized the voice.

Great.

She groaned. "Please, please tell me you're not Shang."

The driver hopped down and hurried over to her, and it became very clear who he was.

"Mulan, I could have killed you, and you're standing here screaming about how you saved Japan?" Shang asked. "I think I really hurt you."

He sounded really concerned, and Mulan's head was starting to feel better.

"It's all right, I'm fine," she told him. "Wish I wasn't," she muttered.

Shang shook his head. "Okay, I believe you, but something's bothering you. Are you all right?"

The usual cloud of awkwardness that had hung over the pair since Mulan (as Mushu so eloquently put it) "blew up Shan Yu" had now dissipated because of Shang's accidental collision.

So Mulan explained all of the previous day's events as well as today's disappointment, ending with, "Could you possibly come with me?"

Shang shrugged. "I came here for relaxation, not an adventure, so I'll have to say no. My apologies."

And there it was. Big fat awkwardness cloud.

"Oh, well, that's great, enjoy your relaxation, I'm going to go hide from my new legion of fans that have stalked me since they found out I saved all of China and pray to my ancestors and go to meet more stupid jewel girls who only know how to shine and make me look like an unpolished rock," Mulan muttered, before saying louder and with forced perkiness, "Wonderful! I'll see you around, then."

Shang, who had heard every single word, sighed. "I hope you won't mind me staying for dinner?"

Mulan grinned in a way that made her look slightly demented. "No, you go on. Our house isn't that relaxing."

Shang stared down at his boots, and Mulan suddenly felt guilty for being so antagonistic. After all, it wasn't his fault she was in this mess.

Then inspiration struck.

"I guess I'll have to find someone else, but I don't know anyone, so I'll just travel with Mushu, who can't really protect a naive, innocent young girl like myself…" Mulan wheedled.

Shang rolled his eyes. "Says the girl who took down an army of Huns with a single cannon. While disguised as a man."

Mulan groaned. "You know what, I give up. I don't have anyone else who is as dear to me, and it said to bring a dear companion, so…"

Suddenly she realized what she just said, and nervously stared at her hands.

Shang swallowed. "I'm...dear...to...you?"

Hurriedly Mulan turned away, wishing her ancestors would strike her down that very second.

"Fine, I'll go with you," muttered Shang.

Mulan whirled.

Shang's cheeks were pale red, and he was giving Mulan a hesitant smile.

Maybe, just maybe…

Mulan shoved the thought into the back of her head, where it wouldn't disturb her anymore. There was simply no way that she was worthy of Shang's affection.

* * *

**Reviews are greatly appreciated. **

**And marshmallows. :)**

**-The Eclectic Bookworm**


	2. Noodles and packing

**Aaand...I'm back with a new chapter! Yay!**

**Pretty please review?**

* * *

Shang stayed for dinner.

He liked Mulan's mother's noodles, and of course Mulan herself, although he was certain that she already had a boatload of suitors at her door.

He mentioned this in an offhand way to Mulan's mother, who simply replied with flushed cheeks that no one wanted to marry a manly woman, and many rude comments had been made towards Mulan.

Shang cast a shocked look at Mulan..

Mulan, seeing his expression and having heard her mother's hushed comment, excused herself.

Shang's eyes followed her as she left the table.

He made small talk with Mulan's parents, explaining that he already had things packed in his wagon and would be more than happy to take Mulan wherever they were going,

"You love her," guessed Fa Li astutely.

Now it was Shang's turn to blush. He hastily crammed a heaping spoonful of noodles into his mouth so that he wouldn't have to reply, and glanced towards the doorway Mulan had disappeared through.

"Mmph mm," he replied.

Fa Li smiled a little and told him, "I am certain Mulan would be pleased to hear that."

Shang choked a little on his noodles, then grabbed his tea cup, took a sip, and swallowed, replying, "That is a matter that Mulan and I will have to settle ourselves. She is a very dear friend, and I do not wish to jeopardize that friendship."

He briskly finished his noodles and then asked, "Do you mind if I help Mulan pack?"

Fa Zhou nodded his approval, and Shang hurried down the hallway he'd seen Mulan exit through.

He heard rustling coming from a bedroom, and knocked hesitantly on the door.

"Come in," called Mulan.

Shang opened the door.

Mulan was stuffing clothing pell-mell into a trunk, her hair loose from its usual bun. Since saving China, it had been important for her to look impeccable at all times.

Shang was once again struck by her unique beauty. Most girls looked better powdered and polished, "jewel girls" as Mulan had phrased it. But Mulan…

Glowed.

That was the word.

Shang sat down next to her. "I'll take you to wherever you need to go tomorrow."

Mulan nodded, lightly placing a lotus comb atop the messy pile. "Thank you."

She didn't turn her head to look at him.

"Mulan…" Shang trailed off. He was noticing it even more now that he'd come for a visit. Even though he'd been expecting rest and relaxation, something was bothering Mulan and he wanted to figure out what it was.

Because Mulan no longer had that air of happiness about her that she had possessed when last Shang had seen her. She hadn't smiled one real smile since he'd ran into her with the cart-

Shang winced.

"I'm sorry about running into you-" he began.

Mulan cut him off. "I'd have loved it if you'd injured me, Shang. Really. I wish I'd never saved China!"

The last sentence was spoken with furious vehemence that made Shang start.

"I-uh-" Shang stuttered. He'd never been good with people skills, and it was beyond him why Mulan would think this.

"You know what?" Mulan suddenly snapped, making Shang jump a little once again. "Forget I said it. Go back to your military life, fade into the woodwork, and enjoy feeling normal."

Her voice grew softer.

"I want to go away from here."

Shang sighed. "Don't we all."

There were a few moments of silence before Mulan slammed the trunk shut so loudly that the sound echoed. For a moment, Shang saw a tear on Mulan's cheek, but then she was standing up and saying loudly, "Can you help me load this onto your wagon?"

* * *

Shang had seen Mulan place the letter under her pillow, and was more than a little confused about what sort of insane person asks someone to use the underside of their pillow as a mailing system, but swallowed it.

Instead, he let himself be escorted to the guest room and lay in bed, daydreaming.

_Mulan runs to Shang. They are in a grassy field full of wildflowers, and she jumps neatly over a large stone before tackling him, knocking him backward into the grass and covering his face with kisses._

_He kisses her back, softly but eagerly. She is the moon, the stars, the sun, the world to him, and he won't waste a second with her._

Shang yawned, stretching out in the bed. He could only dream.

Another possibility filled his mind.

_I love you, he tells her. You are the most wonderful, most intelligent, most beautiful girl I have ever known._

_But Mulan turns away, scoffing, What would I want with a worthless man like you?_

Shang winced. Knowing his luck, that was more than a little likely.

He lay there until he finally drifted off to sleep, wistful visions of Mulan drifting in and out of his head.

If he had thought to peek inside Mulan's bedroom, he would have seen a young woman with long reddish-brown hair and an annoyed expression slide an envelope neatly under Mulan's pillow.

"Jeez," she muttered. "This lady's worse at keeping house than Hercules-and that says a lot."

She pulled the blanket over Mulan, then adjusted her lavender crop top and unrolled her skinny jeans-it had taken a few tries to climb through Mulan's window. Then she rubbed her pendant-a pegasus-and vanished abruptly.

* * *

Shang yawned. The sun was beating a pattern on his face, and it was really relaxing-

"Wake up, Shang! We're going to be late to wherever we're going!"

Mulan tugged impatiently at Shang's sleeve, glaring at him in a very cute way. Her hair was tied back in a bun, and she was wearing a golden embroidered dress that had been tied back with a scarlet sash.

Shang gaped at her and managed a very intelligent "Uuuuhhh…"

Mulan made a face. "I know it looks awful, but my mama made me wear it. Now hurry up, I have something important to tell you!"

Shang had to smile as he sat up. Mulan's dress actually accentuated her best features, and for the life of him he had no idea why anyone would think she looked ugly.

After some hurried last-minute preparations (including a long time spent by Mulan in the temple of her ancestors, where it sounded like she was trying to convince someone to come with them, and apparently was successful. She came out with a huge grin on her face) and some time spent searching for things Mulan forgot, Shang and Mulan set off with the town waving goodbye to them.

About five feet out of the town gates, Shang turned to Mulan and asked, "I sincerely hope you know where we're going."

Mulan shrugged, then replied, 'Someone left a letter under my pillow and two dragon pendants, and they're going to take us where we need to go as soon as we put them on."

Shang blinked. "Mulan, brave one, savior of China, please for the love of all that is holy tell me that you are joking."

Mulan frowned. "Why, is that…" Suddenly it seemed to click with her why Shang had responded that way, and she snapped, "I'm _serious!_ Please, at least try it."

He rolled his eyes and held out his hand for the pendant. "You are a complete-"

"Say please."

"No."

"Shang, seriously-"

"I'm mad at you enough as it is, Mulan. There isn't any time for games."

Mulan rolled _her_ eyes at _him_. "It said in the letter that you have to say please when taking it."

"Fine." Shang spoke through gritted teeth. "Please."

Mulan handed Shang the dragon pendant. "Now put it on on the count of three. One, two,"

She didn't get any farther than that, because Shang slipped the pendant around his neck right then and there.

_What the hell?_

The world and the wagon began to spin, and Shang just barely noticed Mulan slip her own pendant on before everything was a rainbow blur.

* * *

**Ooh, cliffhanger!**

**-The Eclectic Bookworm**


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